Health Risk Assessment of Women and Children Through Trace Elements from Biomass Cooking Fuels in Madhupur Tract Rural Community in Bangladesh
Burning biomass fuel produces chronic smoke, which can lead to various diseases due to the direct or indirect intake of toxic heavy metals. The research work was conducted to investigate the concentration of trace metals in deposited air dust in rural kitchens and their associated health hazards in the Madhupur tract. The study found that the deposited air dust had higher concentrations of Fe, Zn, and Mn (12507.78, 2805.40, and 1148.23 mg/kg), as well as higher concentrations of Cd (7.94 mg/kg) and Pb (53.87 mg/kg). Whereas, the elemental composition of solid biomass fuels in Madhupur tract, the dry stem of jackfruit and the dry stem of bamboo showed the elevated concentration of trace metals such as Cd, Co, Pb, Zn, and Cu, Fe, Ni respectively. The geo-accumulation index indicated moderate to extreme pollution levels for Cd and Zn in the Madhupur tract, while Cadmium and Zinc had the highest ecological risk in the Madhupur tract. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment using the USEPA calculation method found that non-carcinogenic health risks were less than 1 for children and adults, while carcinogenic trace metals were within the acceptable limit. It could be concluded from the study that mixed tree leaves are comparatively safe as biomass fuel as it releases less heavy metal than other fuels. However, for the improvement of the health of women and children, it is crucial to ensure proper kitchen ventilation, reduce the utilization of biomass with high toxic trace metal emissions, use clean fuels like LPG, and regularly clean the kitchen.
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